Synopsis

When two young Amish men find love, will they risk losing everything?

In a world where every detail of life—down to the width of a hat brim—is dictated by God and the all-powerful rules of the community, two men dare to imagine a different way. At 18, Isaac Byler knows little outside the strict Amish settlement of Zebulon, Minnesota, where there is no rumspringa for exploration beyond the boundaries of their insular world. Isaac knows he’ll have to officially join the church and find a wife before too long, but he yearns for something else—something he can’t name.

Dark tragedy has left carpenter David Lantz alone to support his mother and sisters, and he can’t put off joining the church any longer. But when he takes on Isaac as an apprentice, their attraction grows amid the sweat and sawdust. David shares his sinful secrets, and he and Isaac struggle to reconcile their shocking desires with their commitment to faith, family and community.

Now that they’ve found each other, are they willing to lose it all?

Note: Contains explicit sexual situations and graphic language. This is not an inspirational/Christian romance.

We all have books sitting in our TBR list, waiting patiently to be read, but sometimes those gems get lost among the ever growing pile!

So, every now and again we will be scouring our Kindles for the books WE haven’t had time to get around to and we’ll be sharing them with you on….

Flashback Friday!

Mark’s Review

Why oh why did I leave this wonderful gem for a book sat on my Kindle for so long? Damn, I’m so glad I dragged it up from the bottom of my TBR pile and read it! Yes, a five star read for me and it’s only taken me two years to get around to it. Why five stars? Well, any book that can get me feeling and crying like a baby by the end of it deserves five stars and more.

I was thrown into the Amish village of Zebulon. An Amish community that belongs to one of the stricter orders. Basically, their way of life is so strict it’s positively medieval in many respects. There are always a lot of romantic notions connected with the Amish way of life but as with anything the reality is something very different. Living a life according to their puritanical set of religious rules called The Ordnung they are basically cut off from the outside world. I have a lot of respect for these people and their traditions but as with any religious order their rules are fine and everything is loving and kind until you break them!

In this community we find Isaac and David. David is a little older than Isaac and Isaac starts his apprenticeship with David as a carpenter. However, deep down inside both know they are different but are being constantly told what is expected of them according to the church and The Ordnung from others. As they have grown up in this community and know little else then of course this provokes all kinds of internal emotional turmoil, let alone falling in love and living in the face of danger of being found out. I must say here however, not once did Ms Andrews become critical or disrespectful of the Amish way of life at any time during this book. In actual fact she portrayed a wonderful supportive community full of love and respect as long as you followed The Ordnung and there we have the pivotal point for our two star crossed lovers.

Oh my, how I could feel for these two boys. Trapped in a community that expects something different from you, knowing what you are doing is a cardinal sin according to their upbringing, but unable to deny the love and passion that is all too strong to deny. All David and Isaac have are a few stolen moments when they can either escape everyone or when no one is looking. And even then the fear of being caught or found out is always in the back of their minds and omnipresent. However, the emotional attachment they have with each other is so sweet and beautiful you can’t help but not hold your breath for these two that somehow, just somehow, then can find a way to be together and happy.

Their circumstances start to put a strangle hold on their relationship and at some point I was so sad and despondent as there just seemed to be no way out of their predicament. The pressure of The Ordnung, the pull of family, the teachings and upbringing of the community all bearing down on you, it would all be too easy to conform even though you might die inside. I was in despair when it looked as though the love these boys shared would have to break under the pressure of all of this. A kind of resignation to the fact that it’s God’s Will and there is nothing we can do to change it.

Of course, if they really wish to pursue the love they have for each other there is really only one choice possible. This internal struggle between what you have been brought up to believe, the love you have for your family, the fear of the unknown all boils to the surface and is wonderfully portrayed. The alternative is something that neither wants to contemplate at the beginning, but as their love for each other blossoms and grows into something strong, undeniable and unassailable there is only one thing left to do. But there is a small light and this is Isaac’s shunned brother Aaron. This was the point where I lost the plot and started to sob uncontrollably. Seriously! It was as if there was a ray of hope on the horizon for what felt like an impossible situation. A hope that will take tremendous courage but one that needs to be taken. OMG! I haven’t been left so emotionally drained from a book for a long time!

This book needs to be read if you haven’t done so already. Whether like me it’s been sat on your eReader for ages or you go out and get yourself a copy now. Do it! I know I will not be making the same mistake with the following two books in the series. So keep your eyes peeled for our Flashback Friday posts because the successive two books in this series will be appearing from me.

Meet Keira Andrews

After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, paranormal and fantasy fiction, and—although she loves delicious angst along the way—Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said, “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.”

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2 comments:

Angela:Thanks for the reminder review Mark, i'm just like you i have this book on my ereader for way to long and i really have no excuse for not reading it yet, especially since i read and liked/loved lots of books by this author.And after reading your review i'm really looking forward to reading A Forbidden Rumspringa. I will read it this weekend for sure.